A majestic Victorian building near Cadogan Square in London’s affluent Chelsea neighborhood.
Photographer: Busà Photography/Moment RFHow Mansion Blocks Filled London With Stacks of Flats
These ornate buildings pioneered high-density living for affluent Londoners in the Victorian and Edwardian eras — and their virtues are being rediscovered today.
(This article is part of Bloomberg CityLab’s series exploring the iconic home designs that shaped global cities. Read more from the series. Get the next story sent to your inbox by subscribing to the CityLab Daily newsletter.)
In the 1870s, a striking change was occurring in the residential habits of London’s elite. After centuries of living close to the ground in houses, Charles Dickens Jr. (son of the famous writer) observed that wealthy residents were starting “to avail themselves of the continental experience … and to adopt the foreign fashion of living in flats.”